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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: jam · press · branch · prune · pitcher · mate · sharp · wax

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. mate — to breed
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — to trim
  8. mate — a partner
  9. press — newspapers
  10. mate — a friend
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. branch — a division
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. press — to push
  16. press — a publisher
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. wax — to grow
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. prune — the fruit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com